Pickens school bus driver cited for driving too fast

PICKENS COUNTY - A School District of Pickens County school bus driver has been cited for driving too fast for conditions after an accident Friday.

Charlene Thompson, 39, of Six Mile was the only person in a 1995 Thomas school bus when the accident happened on Winding Creek Road in Pickens County around noon, said Lance Cpl. Billy Elder of the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

The bus went off the road while moving westbound and struck a pole, a fence and a tree, Elder said. Thompson needed to be pulled from the vehicle and was taken by helicopter to Greenville Memorial Hospital, the trooper said.

No children were on the bus at the time of the accident.

The state patrol is investigating.

The school district will respond based on the results of that investigation and its own, according to a district statement.